HP 100 Pardon Me
by Adanwen
Summary: Prompt 5: Cedris finds out what it means to be a Hufflepuff.


**Prompt 5: Pardon me**

**5. Pardon me**

Cedric was early, as always. He took his time at breakfast, reading the Prophet thoroughly, and he took his time the way down to the greenhouses; but still he would be the first to get there. He inhaled some of the crisp November air and sighed as he leaned against the frost-decorated glass walls. Most people thought he was just being a highly ambitious nerd, but he just couldn´t help it if everyone else was always being late!

He rummaged in his bag, looking for _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ with the vague plan of passing the time with a little recapitulation on Mandrakes, when he remembered that wasn´t possible. Someone had taken his textbook and tossed it right into the lethal branches of the Whomping Willow. He only knew this because some paper shreds had flown into his face when he had passed the tree yesterday. It wasn´t that it was hard to get a new book (he had written to _Flourish and Blotts_ at once) or that he wasn´t used to such behaviour - it was just the principle that annoyed him. Apparently it was highly offending to be a Hufflepuff with good marks AND Quidditch skills.

When the Sorting Hat had placed him into that house he had been nothing else but proud - to be honest he wouldn´t have minded any of the other houses either. Well, he couldn´t say that he hadn´t been just a little bit afraid of Slytherin, but then again he didn´t want to be biased. They couldn´t be ALL dark wizards and witches. But he soon had learned that not everyone shared his opinion on houses. He had been shocked to see some of his house mates cover their black and yellow ties between classes, just to get by unnoticed under the noses of some fifth year Slytherins.

Shaking his head in recollection, he didn´t notice the group of boys rounding the corner across the lawn.

"Watch out, Don, dangerous-looking Puff on 9 o´clock!"

Cedric spun around as the air exploded with jeering howls. A tall, dark-haired boy, apparently said Don, came walking over to him with, deliberately taking his time.

"All alone, pretty?"

His bag still in hands and clutching it convulsively, Cedric was too much in shock of seeing the lion of Gryffindor stitched over his opponent´s heart to reply.

Now the rest of the group, two other Gryffindors and one Ravenclaw, had joined their friend. All of them were sneering and two of them seemed like they had plenty of experience in the art of beating up second years, judging from the way they were massaging their knuckles.

Trying to recede into the wall behind him, Cedric tried his best to be diplomatic. "I-I really don´t know what I´ve done to you...but aren´t Gryffindors supposed to be chivalric?"

They answered this with another volley of whooping laughter. "Chivalric? Well, I don´t know, Adrian, what would you say? Isn´t saving the world from the sight of another smug badger a pretty noble thing to do?"

"Professor Sprout will be here any minute." It was his last defence and whispered in a pitiable little voice.

"I don´t think so, bumblebee. When we left Greenhouse 3 she seemed to be really busy handling those Fanged Geraniums."

"So you´d better take one last look at your shiny, new bag."

It was no use. Cedric knew he had neither a chance of escaping nor of winning a fight against four fifth years. He might as well give in to the inevitable and get it over with. He even considered destroying his bag himself.

"Do you hear that, Don?"

Distracted by his apocalyptic thoughts, Cedric hadn´t noticed the noise that came steadily nearer and nearer. He didn´t know whether to be glad or terrified about this until the distinct sound of an explosion reached his ears.

"...good one, George - you missed that statue of Groderick the Gross only by inches! Let me try now!"

And to Cedric´s immense relief Fred, George, and the rest of first year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs that made up his class came walking round the corner. His oppressors didn´t seem to be happy about this though and made a quick escape.

"Hey Ced, there you are - can´t wait for class to begin, huh?" Patricia Stimpson smirked at him.

"Yeah...looks like it." He gave her a tired smile.

Two years later, Cedric was rushing down the stairs to reach his Charms class on time. It was possibly the first time he was in danger of being late to a class and he decided he didn´t like it. Taking a little nap before his afternoon classes had seemed like such a good idea to him, especially since he had been awake until 2 am the previous night, learning for exams. Trying to bind his tie and trying not to stumble over his shoelaces, he nearly ran right into someone who seemed to be stuck knee-deep in the fake step of the first floor staircase.

Sliding to a halt, he reached out his hand to help the boy - only then did he recognise his face which had turned into a mask of shock by now. It was that Gryffindor bully, Don.

After some seconds had gone by in icy silence, in which Cedric completely forgot about his original destination, he started to get unnerved. His hand was still hovering in mid-air.

"Well, do you prefer to stay here?" He asked, gesturing towards the stairs.

Don looked slightly dubious and hesitated another moment before he grabbed the offered hand and was pulled up onto the save landing. A look of relieved surprise crossed his features after this - clearly he had expected something else to happen.

Cedric was already half-way down the stairs when he heard Don shouting after him:

"Blimey, you could have thrown any hex at me!" He almost seemed disappointed over his saviour´s lack of enthusiasm for revenge.

"Pardon me," Cedric replied, turning around and frowning slightly, "but I´m just a Hufflepuff."

I'm a Hufflepuff hungry for reviews!:D


End file.
